Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
Bennett: "I have absolutely no intentions of joining the JLP." - CONTRIBUTED
FOR SOMEONE whose party got less than one per cent of the vote in the last general elections, Hyacinth Bennett certainly knows how to grab headlines.
That can be attributed to the fact that Mrs. Bennett - former President of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) - has never been afraid to speak her mind. During her address to a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) rally on April 9, she ran true to form.
Mrs. Bennett told the audience at the Undergrad School in Kingston that the JLP must get its house in order if it is to unseat the People's National Party (PNP) which has been in power since 1989.
"You have to lose the tendency for cass-cass, you have to lose the tendency to be selfish," she said. "They (voters) have been waiting for almost two decades for a real change from their lives of misery, frustration, hopelessness and abject poverty."
According to The Gleaner report, Mrs. Bennett also took a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, calling her pledge to involve religious leaders in national affairs as a 'vote-catching ploy.'
MIS-REPRESENTED SPEECH
Five days later, Mrs. Bennett played down reaction to sections of her speech which she said was mis-represented in the press. She also said her appearance at a JLP meeting did not mean she is thinking of joining that party.
"As a concerned Jamaican I have a commitment to the multi-party system and I accepted an invitation to speak," she told The Gleaner. "I have absolutely no intentions of joining the JLP...I just tried to give them a looking glass to see where they stand as a political organisation," she added.
Mrs. Bennett also denied taking a jab at Mrs. Simpson Miller.
"Nothing that I said should be misconstrued as something against the Prime Minister. I have always stood for spiritual awakening in our country," she said.
It was not the first time that Mrs. Bennett raised eyebrows. Shortly after Bruce Golding resigned as NDM leader in early 2001, she likened his departure to a father deserting his child.
Mrs. Bennett was elected to replace Mr. Golding as NDM head in May 2001, but stepped down after three years. At the time, she said she wanted to concentrate on personal studies but in October 2004, she cited racism (toward her) among some party members as a factor.
"There was deep resentment of me by the few pale-faced members within the party," she told a forum at the Ashanti Restaurant. According to Mrs. Bennett, the faction was "galvanised by an unpreparedness to be led by a black female."
That statement was strongly denied by the NDM and described by one local columnist as 'disappointing.'
While Hyacinth Bennett's leadership of the NDM failed to impress many commentators, few question the mark she has made in education. She is founder of the respected Hydel Group of Schools which tutors from pre-school (ages one to five) to special education (adults).
BIRTH PLACE
The fifth of 10 children, Hyacinth Smith (her maiden name) was born in Prospect, St. Elizabeth. She prepared for a career in education by attending Bethlehem Teachers' College and the University of the West Indies.
In 1995, three years after starting Hydel at Mannings Hill Road, she joined the NDM. She says she was inspired by the vision of Golding, who had left the JLP to help start the NDM which campaigned largely on a programme of constitutional reform.
Mrs. Bennett, a widow and mother of four children, remains a 'non-active' member of the NDM which has failed to win a seat in parliament after two appearances in general elections. She stressed that Hydel, not politics, is her main focus at this time.
"I live my life in seasons and right now with Hydel I'm in a very enjoyable season," she said.
Bennett on ...
BRUCE GOLDING
"He has come up with a raft of cutting-edge solutions to Jamaica's problems. Whether the party he leads can become sufficiently attractive to the electorate is left to be seen."
THE PNP
"There have been pockets of achievements and gain but there is an eternal gap between those achievements and the election promises they made."
EDUCATION
"The education system is still failing. It's clearly out of step with national and global demands. The most important sector here has to be education; I can't think of one problem that education cannot solve."
